Cheapskate Phillies drive away another superstar

Lost amid all the recent signings, arbitration talk and speculation that the champs will have one of the league's highest payrolls this year, is the contract dispute between the Phillies and a key part of their championship team.

This guy is already gone, so there's nothing the Phillies can do to rectify this injustice.

But consider the state of the Phillies before this superstar came to town:

-Charlie Manuel was a bumbling oaf who couldn't double switch his way out of a paper bag. Now, Cholly's a beloved champion.

-The Phillies were a bunch of underachievers in a long playoff and even longer championship drought. Now, they're proven winners - models of heart and homegrown talent.

-A bulldog named Elvis roamed the field. Now, he's gone to Florida.

The vital cog to the Phillies championship who left town over a few hundred thousand dollars? Jimy Williams. Jimy friggin' Williams? When he left, I figured he just wanted to retire. I had no idea he was a prima donna who wants credit for the Phillies success:

A big part, apparently. Speculation abounds that Williams asked for money closer to the $1.5 million being paid to Manuel than to the salaries paid to other Phillies coaches. Most certainly Williams saw himself as a co-manager over the last 2 years, a belief that Manuel's egoless manner did not tame. Indeed one of the more poignant clips following Brad Lidge's final pitch is of Manuel hugging Williams and saying something to him in his ear.

Unreal, but a fascinating column by Sam Donnellon in the Philadelphia Daily News. Much better than Phil Sheridan's offering, which tries to get at the psychology behind fans caring about athletes' salaries, before realizing it's human nature to gossip about money and that there are some fans who realize that an overpaid superstar could drain resources from the rest of the roster.